Introduction
My educational journey began on a scientific route. I had an idea in my head that I wanted to be a wildlife biologist, so I declared myself a wildlife major and began taking a plethora of science-based courses. I was super passionate about conserving endangered species and giving a voice to the voiceless, and this was the path that made the most sense to me. I am still passionate about these things, but in a less Westernized way now. In the Fall semester of 2022, I took an Intro to Native American Studies course with Aaron Gregory and somewhere along the way my entire world perspective changed. I slowly started to realize that Western science just seemed like it was missing the point. As time went on, my classes became less and less fulfilling, while I became less and less passionate, and being a wildlife major felt like it was making less and less sense. Right at the bottom of that spiral, I found the new Interdisciplinary Studies-Individualized Degree Plan major. After talking with Rebecca and changing my classes for the semester, I knew instantly that this was the right decision for me. After dreading school for years, I am finally excited to learn again because now I get to learn about my passions and I get to explore all the new interests I have, which is an inevitable part of growing up that I feel school systems don’t often account for. From personal experience as well as peripheral experiences I have heard from friends, choosing one major leaves you feeling tunneled in, unable to branch out, and often with very little time to explore classes outside of your major. Interdisciplinarity allows me to weave together all the concepts I am learning about to achieve a more well-rounded and deeper understanding of the things I’m passionate about.
Since I am switching to this major at the end of my senior year of college, instead of building an entire degree plan, I am explaining how the classes I have already taken in my science degree go hand in hand with the two semesters of classes that I do have under this major. During my last two semesters, I will be taking classes geared more toward concepts of activism, sustainability, non-western worldviews, and writing. I will take a religious studies class, more sociology classes, and some CCAT classes to gain these perspectives.
As for my longer term goals, I have a few ideas for what I want to do, and almost all of them are considered unconventional. I have ideas that range from writing books geared towards activism or holistic living, staking out in old growth forests to save them from the lumber industry, working for non-profits that work towards the decolonization movement, or even something like “healing” retreats where reciprocity and symbiosis with nature are relearned. I really don’t know exactly what I want to do, but I know for a fact that I want to inspire change in this world. There is a serious need for a global awakening right now, especially since we are in the midst of many crises, and I want to be a part of that one way or another.
IDP Content and Outcomes
Through my focus on Engaging Publics and Viewing Science Through a Critical Lens, I will explore the limitations of Western science, specifically how it very often lacks in teaching about alternative perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge. Western science is based heavily on the epistemological perspective of positivism and the ideals of objective and observable fact, and although science is very important in so many different ways, I believe it disconnects us from truly knowing, understanding, and living with the land we reside on. We may learn about the life cycle of bryophytes, but do we really understand these kinds of plants in the context of where we live? Do we know their medicinal or conventional uses? Do we truly understand their role within the surrounding ecosystem? These are the concepts that tend to get lost in the Westernized scientific perspective, and thus we are left with much less actual understanding of the earth than we thought we were getting. This incorporates the majority of my academic journey before I switched to the IDP major, and I plan on bringing the last bit of my academic journey in with “engaging publics”. This is where I want to shift gears into more of an engaged mindset, talking/writing toward the advocacy of adopting non-western views on a much larger scale. I am deeply passionate about the environment and the role that we humans play in the natural world, and I believe that by opening the public up to these ideas of holistic living, spirituality, and reciprocity, we can begin to mend the damage we have done and live much lighter on this earth. To summarize, I want to open people’s eyes to the idea of dismantling the Western perspective that is so ingrained within our systems and replace that with a much more holistic approach to how we live.
I have chosen my IDP areas of emphasis to be Western science, critical perspectives, and activism. As you can see looking at the majority of my course load, I have a strong background in science. I plan on using this experience and understanding of westernized science to explain its shortcomings as a widely-held perspective in the majority of our populations and how this mindset is affecting us. With my second area of emphasis, activism and critical views, I will then be introducing a different way of looking at the world. I will explore the differences between Western science and non-western perspectives. Finally, I will be tying this all together with an emphasis in activism and public engagement. As an aware being in this world I believe it is my duty to inspire change, and the time for change is always now.
Having an emphasis in Western science relates to my goals of bringing to light the many limitations of Westernized systems. It is only through a very integrated experience with science that I have been able to develop a deeper understanding of how it is flawed, and having this kind of background with Western science is essential for establishing rapport within these communities in hopes of open-mindedly discussing its shortcomings. My emphasis on critical views relates to a much larger “goal” of mine, which calls for a shift in how we see/interact with the living world. To accomplish this on any sort of scale, I think that an exploration of non-western views will help me identify Western constraints on deeply knowing the natural world, while simultaneously gaining an understanding of alternative perspectives. As for my emphasis in activism, this relates to my goal of inspiring change and bringing these ideas to the public.
To bring it all together, these three areas intersect to help prepare me to engage publics and encourage change within our systems of knowledge and how we choose to live in this world. By engaging publics in an investigation of Western science through a critical lens, I hope not only to push my own boundaries of what I believe to be true and what I believe I can accomplish, but also to ask those who engage with my work to do the same. I am passionate about environmental advocacy and I hope to spread that passion as I go about this journey.